The national space agency announced early on Sunday that the Change'e-6 craft has touched down on the far side of the moon in a historic first for China’s space programme.

The craft landed at the South Pole-Aitken Basin shortly before 6.30am.

Change'e-6 will collect rocks and soil from the lunar surface for return to earth, the first time the moon’s far side has been studied in this way. The mission blasted off from the Wenchang base on Hainan Island a month ago.